Attract Your Desires

Monday, March 21, 2016

Studies on the human mind have proven that as a child, your mind is like a sponge. Everything you see, hear, encounter and experience gets absorbed deep in your subconscious mind, and continues to influence you from behind the scenes for much of your life.

This subconscious influence can be either a blessing or a burden, depending on how it drives your thoughts, emotions and beliefs.

The ones that cause unwanted emotions like fear, self-doubt and negativity should be scrubbed from your subconscious mind - and the first step to achieving that is knowing exactly what childhood experiences are adversely affecting you and why.

Here are four of the most common types of childhood experiences you must release to move forward with your life:

1. Moments of uncontrollable, paralyzing fear

Fear is a natural part of growing up. As children, we fear speaking on stage. We fear failing school exams. We fear asking out a potential prom date. We fear standing up to the school bully.

For most of us, that fear was validated when we failed at certain tasks or challenges - and the consequences left us embarrassed, unworthy and doubtful of our own abilities.

For some of us, that fear has solidified into a suit of armor we've carried into adulthood; an excuse to avoid taking risks or explore beyond our comfort zones.

Be mindful that our purpose in life is to grow; and fear is a necessary ingredient towards that growth. Even award-winning performers like Adele still get fearfully nervous on stage, but that doesn't stop them from stepping up time and time again.

And as George R.R. Martin says, “The only time a person can be truly brave is by first facing a fearful situation - and tackling it head-on anyway.”

2. Situations where procrastination paid off (in the short term)

Our brains are hardwired to shield us from harm - which is good when you're stepping aside to avoid a falling tree; but not so good when your brain convinces you to stay put, sit still, and not do today what you can do tomorrow.

As children, we quickly begin to encounter situations where procrastination pumps us up with a (short-term) high.

Skipping homework to play video games is fun. Staying up a few extra hours past bedtime is nice. And mowing the lawn tomorrow so you can go play basketball today, sounds like a great idea.

Sure, just like smoking and eating unhealthy food, there are consequences to your temporary high - but once you're addicted to procrastination, pushing them to the back of your mind becomes second nature.

What makes procrastination even more damaging is that as you get older, the stakes get higher. Your career, finances and health all require your immediate attention, and sometimes holding off on an important task for even just a few days is enough for everything to come crashing down.

So don't procrastinate on shaking off your procrastination habit: respect yourself, your time and your life by treating it with the urgency it deserves.

3. Inability to find a pursuit, skill or purpose that made your heart sing

You probably remember at least a few people from your childhood who pursued a hobby or skill, like dancing, playing a musical instrument or a sport, and went on to turn that pursuit into a successful lifelong career.

Most of us, however, tend to drift away from the paths we explored as children, if we had the opportunity to explore any in the first place.

Instead, we follow what's available and convenient, sacrificing the discovery or pursuit of what truly fulfills us on a deeper level.

Then, as the bills, responsibilities and deadlines of adulthood stack up, we completely sideline any notion of honoring our passions; instead, we settle for admiring other people's passion-driven achievements.

But, as the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel said, "Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion."

On your deathbed, a passionless life will be one of your biggest regrets. So remember that honoring yours is equally as, or even more important than, wealth and professional stability.

4. Moments of self-doubt caused by judgmental parents and role models

From our grades to our fashion sense, it's normal for our parents, mentors, teachers and role models to act judgmentally towards us as we're growing up.

This behavior often boils down to a well-meaning protective streak that manifests as excessive scrutiny on our actions, decisions and academic performance.

Unfortunately, being constantly put under a microscope can manifest a sense of unease and nervousness each time you're faced with a decision that should be yours and yours alone to make.

"What will they think?" and, "Will I let them down?" are common questions you'll ask yourself when you're plagued by the self-doubt of excessive judgment.

To overcome this block, it's crucial that you reinforce the understanding that you are the captain of your own ship, and that nobody but you has the right to be your own harshest critic.

While it is, of course, admirable to make your parents and mentors happy, your own happiness comes before anything else - and those who truly love you must remember this fact.

Now that you're familiar with the 4 most common damaging childhood experiences...

It's crucial to know which one is affecting you most.

The tricky thing is, because these experiences exist in your subconscious mind, it's hard to figure this out by yourself - in fact, the truth may be the complete opposite of what you think.

That's why our friends at Mind Movies have designed a FREE and powerfully accurate 30-second quiz that, through a series of carefully arranged questions, predicts the no. 1 childhood experience that is most damaging to your career, finances and life.

Monday, February 15, 2016

Yes, I've been M.I.A. (Missing In Action) for a while! Without going into too much detail, my most recent 'day job' was very taxing on me emotionally/mentally, being an Empath. Once I quit (right around Christmas) it took me a while to get back to where I was before taking the job.

I am grateful for having had the experience I did. Even though it was difficult, I learned things about myself I may not have otherwise. I have more in my mental toolbox now than before.

I am refreshed now and back to work on projects I had started last year. I am excited to see these ideas coming to life and can't wait to start sharing them!

I am also grateful spring is on the way! A time of new beginnings. A waking up to possibilities. A fresh start. New directions. Ah, and warmer weather!

Today, I am grateful for what's around the corner. What are you grateful for today?

Each stone/crystal has an inherent energy to them. While stones/crystals of the same type will have similar properties, they each have their own 'feel' to them and will resonate differently for each person. For example, someone could hold an amethyst and it could feel warm or like it is vibrating, yet pick up another amethyst and not feel anything.

How did you first get attracted to crystals?

I have been attracted to rocks/stones/gemstones since I was a child. However, it wasn't until a trip to Hawaii in 2008 that I realized a deeper connection to them. I met a lightworker who kind of nudged me awake and since then, I have been acutely aware of the energies of stones.

What kinds of things can crystals do for us?

Oh, how much time do you have?! They can do everything from support us with calming energy to helping us expose our innermost, deepest feelings. They can help bring us focus, regulate our auric energy, aid in sleep, guide us while doing dream work, help us to be grounded, connected to Spirit/Source and so much more! They are here to teach us and support us on our individual paths.

How does a person know which crystals they should be working with?

There are a few ways this can be done. First, take notice of the stones/crystals you are drawn to. Explore how to you feel when you look at it and when you hold it. When you find one that has drawn you in, research the properties of that stone/crystal. What is it reported to be able to do on a physical, mental and spiritual level? Does the description resonate with you?

Another way is to consult a crystal therapist who can help to guide you to stones/crystals that will benefit you.

How should crystals be cared for?

There are different methods for different stones. Amethyst geodes are great for clearing/charging quartz. For those that can get wet (and don't dissolve), I like to use running water and intention to clear stones. Clearing them in a running river is fantastic, but most of us don't have the luxury of having one close by. Running tap water works just as well. Hold the stone under the water with the intention to clear it of any residual outside energy that may be in it. Picture it being rinsed out and returning to Source. You will 'feel' when it is cleared and can stop. There are some stones (selenite for example) that will dissolve when wet so make sure to double check.

Some stones (such as Rose Quartz, clear quartz, citrine) that can be charged by sunlight to give them a boost. Moonstone does well in moonlight as does selenite. Amethyst can fade in sunlight so be aware of that if you want to keep the bright purple color.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Today I am interviewing Amy Cerny
Vasterling, the Intuitive Pathfinder (Intuitive Reader). It is through Amy that I have gathered some of the
information in my soon-to-be-published book, "My Spirit, My Journey-A
Beginners Guide: How To Discover, Decide, And Delight In Your Spiritual
Journey".

How do you define intuition?

I define intuition as our ability to sense via
discernment or inner knowing. A way I often define how to work with it for my
clients is it’s about seeing a pattern or connection in everything. If
everything is connected, therefore there is nothing, which cannot be
connected.

Does everyone have intuition, or just certain people?

I believe we all have it and I believe some of
us have it stronger than others but it is a skill to be honed, not a
gift.

"At that moment my son stuck a key in the
socket and fell to the floor."

What are some indicators to know you are receivingintuitive information?

I feel intuition comes in two forms in my
life, however, I think they are the same thing. This example comes in the form
of a story. My daughter and I were in the kitchen preparing dinner when we both
put down our cooking utensils and walked out to the living room without
speaking or knowing why. At that moment my son stuck a key in the socket and
fell to the floor. Both of us "knew" something was wrong. I believe
we pick this up from the electromagnetic field of our heart. We sensed what was
happening in the quantum field (the energy between the atoms)
and it draws us in surpassing judgment.

I also know because I am amply able to do it
that we are able to see, smell, taste (ick), feel and sense energy and read it.
This is psychic ability but a true intuitive passes it through their
discernment before they dish it up. Many people today align to calling
themselves "Intuitive" and I would challenge each of them for a
definition. This is going to help you align with the best match in a good
reader/intuitive for your specific needs.

"This is psychic ability but a true intuitive passes it through
their discernment before they dish it up."

Please tell us about some of the work you do as an intuitive.

Thiscareer has offered me a
grand platform on which to expand. I've been a keynote speaker on the topic of
aligning with your true self, spoken on a panel as the expert on "Reading
Energy" and traveled around the US speaking about
intuition and how to work with your own. I also teach on the topics of
transforming grief, empowering kids through parenting and grandparenting,
intuition and self-empowerment workshops. I coach, counsel and read for
individuals as I can quickly see their core issues and give them tools so they
can find the solutions. Lastly, I am currently working on a forthcoming project
of podcasting on a whole host of topics. Some including but are not limited to;
understanding what the angel, guide, saint, etc realms are and how they work.
This will launch January 2016. Watch my website for more information.

I also am a fine artist and am working on a
large body of work including 1,000 images. I draw with India ink on canvas
using scientific eyedroppers and work with oil paint, sometimes using
both! To learn more about this work visit my website at www.amycernyvasterling.com

"Have fun! My motto is 'Come and open
yourself to a world, which in truth is all yours!'"

Can you give some suggestions for someone wanting to develop
and work with their intuition?

Yes! My top suggestions are:

1) Ask a question! Before you go to sleep in
those few moments when you are relaxed see if you can see, hear, sense,
feel or smell something. If yes, ask about what it is and why it's showing up.
If nothing, try againtomorrownight
and so on.

(Please note, I've been reading for years and
it is subtle information that comes up for me, I can't see "it all"
and I am no better at it than you. The difference is I committed to looking
because I am a super curious person! I kept asking questions to the universe
and they'd show up in a conversation or article in a magazine or another way
for myself and I’d see them directly for others. I've read for hundreds of
people and this experience has taught me the most. I say to my clients,
"In 10 years the reader I'll be." Meaning we all start somewhere and
10 years ago I was in a totally different place so start somewhere, anywhere!)

2) Be CURIOUS! All energy is good energy. If
you are afraid of evil, you probably are not to be entering this arena! Why?
Because you are setting yourself up to fail based on what others say in place
of what you have experienced. If you are going to jump into reading based on
the ideas of others, stop. How YOU read energy likens to whom you are and how
you operate not how others operate. The best thing to do is learn on your own
without influence. Now, I know this is not for everybody but I see a lot of
drama around reading. I've seen a lot of things and I can tell you this, I've
met energies that were ready to take me down but instead of getting scared, I
allowed, trusted and asked them what they need. What I found was the energy was
simply misplaced, displaced or misunderstood. Just like humans! If we are in
any of those attributes we will be horrible as an earthling! (Hitler is a prime
example, he was misunderstood and this is what made him become so controlling,
angry and destructive.) So I meet the energy to see if I can help. Most times I
figured it out. Except when there are tricksters I call their bluff, roll my
eyes and tell them to go away and they do.

3) Have fun! My motto is "Come and open
yourself to a world, which in truth is all yours!"

4) Ask to read for people, start your process
and trust yourself. After you read for them, say to yourself, within 1 year
they'll come back to me and let me know how the reading served them. It helps
to have validation.

5) I've spoken to dogs, moved ghosts to the
other side, gotten confessions from them and from murders still living. I've
found there is nothing, which has come up that I couldn't do. I am able to read
as a medium but I do not do it unless it is a murder, suicide or accidental
death because my belief system does not align with me connecting you to your
loved ones and Its not my sweet spot. Be true to you! Do what feels super easy,
interesting and fun! This is what will make you unique. Then once you gain
confidence, try other things. I am serious when I say a man approached me and
said, "Can you talk to dogs." I said "No" Then I started
spouting out what the dog wanted to tell him. He confirmed with me right there
what I was saying was accurate. I gave him tools he could not see. I could talk
to animals and I never knew it. Open up, you never know what skill you have in
your back pocket.

6) Being highly psychic or intuitive does not
make you special. I live a normal human life within my amazing family. I am
married, have kids and am by most accounts a normal human being. Everything
I've learned is self-taught. Public speaking, self-taught. Reading, self-taught.
Creating classes & teaching, self-taught. You get the picture. I teach
intuition so you learn it from you.

Thank
you so much, Amy, for sharing your knowledge and experience with us!

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Today I am interviewing Julianna
Muthu, Shamanic Counselor, Energy Healer and Mystic. It is through Julianna
that I have gathered some of the information in my soon-to-be-published book,
"My Spirit, My Journey-A Beginners Guide: How To Discover, Decide, And
Delight In Your Spiritual Journey".

Julianna, tell us about your first
memory of empathic feelings.

Great question. Before I even
answer that, I think its important to clarify the difference between “empathy”
and being an “empath”. Thanks to Caroline Van Kimmenade for her clear
articulation.

When we experience empathy, we are
able to “relate” to the experience or situation of another.
As an empath, we shift into more psychic experiences called
clairsentience - “clear feeling.” An empath senses or feels the
information she receives, rather than thinks her way through.

The clearest experience I had of
understanding myself as one who feels the emotions of others was when I
was having dinner with a friend who was sharing about a recent breakup. I felt
a pain in my heart that I was clear was her pain, not mine. Or, at least, my
interpretation of her pain.

We must be very discerning in our
interpretations of our feelings as empaths; My body will speak to me in a
way that has meaning for me that I have had to discover. It is important
to be very careful about interpreting what we are feeling, and putting that on
another person. Just because my heart was hurting, didn't necessarily mean that
my friend's heart was hurting, it may only mean there is high probability
that some part of her was hurting about this breakup. What I can say for sure
is I experienced a pain in my heart that wasn’t mine.

So you were able to tell right away
that it wasn't your feeling, it was hers?

Yes.

Did it take you by surprise?

It really did. In fact, I think had
I not had some previous awareness through reading or listening to other people
or some basic understanding that this was possible, I think I would have
thought I was having a heart attack.

It was pretty heavy?

It was momentary, but it was sharp
and intense. I think I could have gone into a place of fear if I hadn't had
some understanding of what was occurring.

"I couldn't differentiate what was mine and what was somebody else's."

It was the very first clear
experience I had of feeling something that was not mine. I had grown
up in a family with a lot of people so there was just so much happening, I
couldn't differentiate what was mine and what was somebody else's. This was my
very first experience of understanding that all I was feeling wasn’t just me!

An astrologer looking at my natal
chart validated for me I had this level of sensitivity and that it was
imperative I develop what she called at the time "psychic
boundaries". I didn't understand what any of that meant, but I felt
the resonance of truth in what she was saying.

When a similar situation happened
to me, I was just overcome with emotion. I didn't know why, because I wasn't
sad, but all of a sudden I just had all this..."stuff"-I was filled
with it. I didn't know what it was, or what I was supposed to do with it, or
how to get rid of it...

The way I understand what you're
saying is that you're also a ground for the expression and movement of that
emotion. That's a lot of what empaths do as well. There's a lot of people who
don't have a clear relationship with their feelings and emotional bodies. Those
of us who are empaths will become the grounding rod for it.

It does take us by surprise unless
we understand that this is possible. It is surprising because we recognize
"Wow, I'm not actually feeling sad but I have all this sadness moving
through me" and so to come into an understanding of that and cultivating
your compassionate heart is really a big piece of understanding that you're the
container, you're kind of a gift, an offering to this person and that in the
moment you can really feel your feet on the ground. The energy needs to be able
to flow. That is what it is seeking, a place to flow. If you are a
path of least resistance and you are standing next to someone who is resisting
feeling, you very well may become the conduit for the flow of that energy, that
feeling or emotion.

As an empath, differentiation is
imperative. We must have some understanding of our own wounds and
vulnerabilities, and the idea of projection. Were you an empath for
another’s unfelt feelings, or did what was being said, light up your own tender
vulnerabilities and hurts? It is imperative one develops an understanding
of their own inner emotional geography and have tools to do the clearing and
healing that is required. It takes training to become a clear empath, to clear
your own channels so one can differentiate what is theirs, what is another’s,
and notice when something gets stuck and have the tools in place to clear your
own energy and physical body.

"Emotion wants to move..."

You can be a very supportive tool
when someone is dealing with a lot of energy themselves, or dealing with a lot
of energy in response to somebody. Breathing into my heart, feeling my feet on
the ground and just breathing. Emotion wants to move, and when we don't acknowledge
it, it gets stuck and jammed up. So people who are empaths are going to be the
ones who are helping it move.

Please explain about breathing
through your heart.

What I mean about breathing through
the heart is simply putting my intention on my heart and breathing. I
can sit here right now and put my attentionon my nostrils and I might
feel the sensation of the air moving in and out. What does that feel like? Does
it feel warm? Maybe I open my mouth and feel the sensation of that. When I'm
with somebody or in a situation where there's a lot of energy and a lot of
emotion, I simply put my intentioninto my heart. And put my intentionof moving my breath in and out of my heart. And that's really it. So I might be
more aware of that part of my body that moves with each breath. It is kind of
holding dual awareness. I'm listening to the person, I am also feeling an
intensity in the environment of one sort or another. Could be my own-I could
just be reacting to somebody so that I'm doing it for myself. Ultimately,
that's what you're doing.

We go to people who call themselves
healers-certainly for support, but it's really up to us to show up and do our
own healing. When in a situation where's there's an intensity of emotion, it
could be mine, and it could be that I'm in service to this other person, I
don't always necessarily know and I don't need to know. But I am feeling
something so I need to feel my feet on the ground and put my attention
into my heart and feel my breath moving in and out of that heart space.

Do you find the more you work at
this it gets easier or is it a case by case basis sometimes being easier and
sometimes more difficult?

It absolutely does get easier. For
me, that's where meditation and the journey process comes into play.

At times I may have what one of my
wonderful teachers calls "resi-do-do" (and I think we can all imagine
what that means). If I've had an interaction with someone and I go home
and I'm perseverating about it or I have stories in my mind or judgments,
like "Oh, I wish they would have done 'this'", or "I wish they
wouldn't have done 'that'", that kind of thing is a story that I'm going
into. That, to me, that's "resi-do-do". That's where I find
having a meditation practice, or a journey practice or some relationship with
guidance or spirit, helps me then tend to that-clear it, or see what it's
pointing to so that I can have a different understanding of it.

"I think that's the piece that's really valuable, is we don't have to know."

When I had that experience of
feeling my friend's feelings that hurt my heart, I wasn't coaching at the time.
I didn't know what to call what I was experiencing. But I had an
understanding that it ran me, and that there was an invitation there for deeper
understanding, so I was curious. I think that's the piece that's really
valuable, is we don't have to know. We're not going to know everything.

What are we curious about? Follow
the path of curiosity that has you wanting to move forward and understand
things more deeply. Because when we do that, there's something called
providence-I love that word! Providence
steps into that place of curiosity and points you to the places you need to go
in order to understand what you are wanting to understand.

Neither my coach nor I knew what
that was, or what to call it, there wasn't a language at the time we knew of,
but I had this very clear pure experience and so I could ask friends. I shared
with a very good friend and she said, "Oh, you might want to check out
this school". I checked it out and it resonated. I had some judgments
about the name. I wasn't prepared to understand psychic energy, being that I
had a lot of fears around the idea of “psychic”. Part of me wanted to
just pooh-pooh it, but when I looked at the courses they were offering, it
resonated.

They were teaching me tools to
clear my energetic body of anybody's energy that wasn't natively mine. I love
the tools! I don't know why, but I'd visualize the Tasmanian Devil character
spinning around my energy field picking up everything that wasn't natively
mine. I will still use that tool if I've gone to a place where I've picked up a
lot of psychic residue. It doesn't happen so frequently anymore, but if it
does, I still will use that tool.

"I call all of my e

nergy back to me whole and complete."

Sometimes when I would travel, I
was leaving energetic parts of myself places. I didn't know I was doing this.
So what I learned to do was call back all my energy to me whole and complete.
It's such a beautiful thing to say-"I call all of my energy back to me
whole and complete." My whole body just wants to take a deep breath, you
know. I'm calling all of my energy back to me whole and complete.

As an empath, you really are often
a conduit for feelings and emotions, found in people and in spaces.
And you don’t usually have control over when this channel of
perception gets turned on. You just have to be able to flow with it and
find tools that assist you staying grounded and centered.

Cultivating the element of
compassion is also very important. I think that we can sometimes help by just
stopping and asking "Are you OK?". Or tuning within and asking,
"What is wisdom here right now?" For me to just be quiet and
breathe through my heart or to go a little deeper with this person? It
depends on the relationship and if appropriate saying, "Wow, I'm
really aware of feeling this in my body right now, Are you OK?"

Thank you, Julianna, for sharing
your experience and knowledge! It's been a pleasure.

I’m honored to be in this circle of women who had the courage to change things up midlife, blaze a new trail to authentic living and who openly share their story to inspire other women to believe they can too.

No matter where you are on your midlife journey, this sacred collection of thirty stories will provide you with deeply profound inspiration and a valuable reminder that every challenge in your life is an opportunity for self-discovery and transformation.

“Almost all of the struggles we experience come from the times when we ignore the truth of who we are to fit into the world’s model of who we think we are supposed to be. Each time we smother our inner wisdom, we get further away from the core essence of who we are and our purpose here”

Friday, July 31, 2015

Who among us has not followed through with something we REALLY wanted to do because we didn't believe we could do it?

Why wouldn't you believe in yourself? Look how good you are at believing in your friends, your spouse, your kids.....

When it comes to you, it's different, isn't it? Let's say you have taken to pedaling your bike around the neighborhood after dinner, enjoying the outdoors and getting a bit of exercise. A friend tells you about someone completing a cross-country ride on their bicycle. You say, "I would LOVE to do that, but I'd never be able ride that far." Here's what's racing through your mind-

what if I fail

what if I actually did it

big things like that are for other people, not me

people would think I'm crazy

no one else believes I could do this either

"When you doubt
your power, you give power to your doubt."

Honore de Balzac

Now What?

Whether you think so or not, you have accomplished things in your life! Think about the things you've completed that you're proud of. how did you feel when you were in the beginning stages?

You notice by starting to do what you can do at the time, celebrating milestones (no matter how small), and keeping your vision focused on your end result, you gain confidence. The more you do, the more you can do. You get used to feeling that you can do these things that once seemed out of reach.

I am honored to have been included in this wonderful collaboration of inspiring women sharing their stories.

This is a great example of believing in yourself. I thought this was for other people, not me. I was afraid-intimidated, maybe? But I went for it. I trusted myself, I visualized it, and I had great support.